God’s Big Picture – tracing the storyline of the Bible

Author: Vaughan Roberts.

Published by IVP. 160 pages. £5.99

Review by Jim Sayers

 

Vaughan Roberts is well known as a conference speaker at ‘Word Alive’ and the Men’s Conventions. He is rector of St. Ebbes Church Oxford, and has a growing ministry as a writer of easy-to-read books that help you to understand the Bible. This book is a straightforward guide to making sense of the Bible’s plot line. Yes, the Bible is a collection of books by different authors written at different times, but it has one overarching theme, the kingdom of God.

Beginning at Genesis he works through from the pattern of the kingdom established in creation and the perished kingdom brought about by Adam’s sin, through the partial kingdom of Israel to the present kingdom of Jesus on earth, looking forward to the perfected kingdom when Jesus comes again. Along the way he unlocks the more obscure parts of your Bible like God’s instructions for the Temple, or the visions of the prophets, and shows how these fit into the bigger picture of the whole Bible.

This is a great book for a new Christian, for someone who doesn’t often read Christian books, or for someone who struggles to make sense of the Bible. And if you enjoy this book, then why not also try his other books, ‘True Worship’ ‘Life’s Big Issues’ and ‘Turning Points.’

Jim Sayers